Going to see some DJ's this week and next. Any words of advie or wisdom? Anything you think I should ask to help me decide who is better? instead of just going with instinct?
Good luck - choosing a DJ was so hard for us. Here are my suggestions in no particular order:
1. Decide beforehand what you FOR SURE do not want. Mike & I did not want giveaways (leis & sunglasses), nor did we want too many participation dances like the Macarena or 'Hands Up'. Most DJ's we interviewed made us feel stupid or cheap for not wanting these things. I had a DJ tell me that he was a professional and that he knows what people like and that I didn't know how to 'get a party started'. Umm Sorry - didn't book him!
2. Be clear about what you do want. The DJ we booked requested a deposit up front, with the balance to be paid AFTER the reception. It was insurance that we would be happy (or else he wasn't getting paid!) ;)
3. Make sure they have back-up equipment in case something breaks down.
4. Be clear about how aggressive you want your emcee to be. We were at one wedding at Crest Hollow where the woman was literally pulling people out of their chairs. I almost punched her! Our emcee knew what style we were going for and interacted with our guests without assaulting them.
That's all I have for now, but I hope it helps. Good luck!!
Michele
9-2-01
I so agree with those suggestions.
I booked spinaroundsound and tom was great with all these details. Before I booked him, as I was talking he was jotting down notes, when I got the contract, it had 'Aunt Sandy likes Jump by Van Halen' and 'NO DIVAS!' and what type of music we liked. He even had an idea for FHs love of Pink Flyod and Led Zepplin (how to work it into the wedding)
I think most important - make sure you get a good feeling and you get the dj and mcs names on the contract!
happy planning
These responses are so helpful! I'm starting to look at DJs and I have no clue where to begin. Shelby9201, would you mind telling us who you booked? What was the name of the DJ you didn't like?
Thanks!!!
Hey 02bride! We booked with Sounds Unlimited (631-661-6994) for several reasons. First, we were planning long distance, so I had to be VERY comfortable from the first phone call. Al was so helpful and didn't try & hard sell me on anything. He answered all of my questions (even the dumb ones) and seemed interested in my ideas (like playing only Carribean Steel Drum music at the cocktail hour). Next, we were relying on my parents (in Queens) to do alot of our legwork once we narrowed down our choices. The guys from SU went all the way from Suffolk County to my parent's house to meet with them. When it came time to choose the music we wanted, Al or John were always available to bounce ideas off of and had some really good suggestions. Mike & I were extremely clear on our DONT'S and they respected every decision we made and never made us feel stupid.
At the wedding, Al interacted with our guests and everyone including my 84 year old grandmother got out on the dance floor and had a blast!
The other 2 companies that come to mind that we spoke with were Get in Tune (kind of pushy and opinionated) and Top Hat (kind of uninterested).
Sounds Unlimited has a website prodjmc.com which lists their packages & prices.
Good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions - remember it's YOUR day and if you want to play the Barney song for 5 hours straight that's YOUR business!
Michele
9-2-01
Thanks for your suggestions. I saw two DJ's last night and both seemed good. I still want to see Spin Around Sound and Hart to Hart. Heard lots of good about them on this site.
Michele, thanks for your advice. I have another question question- sounds like your DJ got everyone involved. Did your DJ do a good job of getting people involved without hassling them? At my friend's wedding, the DJ kept forcing people to dance. I only want people to dance if THEY want to. I don't want them to feel like they have to, know what I mean?
Shannon
How were the DJs you saw last night? Do they show you videos when you meet with them?
Thanks!
Shannon
I need a steel pan group for our cocktail hour, our theme is Caribbean. I only need them for the cocktail hour.
Thanks
We looked into doing that and the least expensive we found was $1500 for a three piece group for one hour. We found that they charge a minimum of three hours time. I don't remember who we looked at, but they were from CT and they play at a lot of the beach clubs in the summer. We ended up just having our DJ play Carribean Steel Drum music and it was fine.
Michele
I looked at Invitation to Dance and Starlight Express and liked them both.
They had similarities and differences and we are trying to figure out which suits us.
Invitation to Dance showed a video of them from a Bridal Show and it was very entertaining.
Starlight Express showed a couple videos of weddings they worked. It showed the different emcee's all with different personalities.
Starlight showed us the intelligent lighting which was nice to see but led me to have more questions (see posts on lighting above). They also gave us a cool mixed cd of their work.
PS I have appointments with Hart to Hart and Spin around Sound next week. So far Spin around sound has been very impressive over the phone.
I will let you know how it goes.
Hey, we got a steel pan group for our cocktail hour too .... I'm sooooo excited. Try Franklin Wayne Music - it's where we booked our band. They got us a two man group for $500, but I think they charge $600. Not sure check it out though.
www.franklinwaynemusic.com
By the way, we are doing not a caribbean theme, but we are having a tropical drink bar and BBQ during the cocktail hour. What are you guys doing?
I found a group on of my GF used for her wedding, they charge $550 for 1 and a 1/2 hour, they start b4 the guest arrives and play for more than an hour, in case the cocktail hour runs longer. We are having a Carribean theme, I am Jamaican and my FI is from Trinidad so we needed something like this to add to our day. You can check out who we have at www.cmproductions.com
Thanks all and happy planning
My husband and I had our reception at the Oheka Castle and we had a 12-15 piece steel pan band for cocktail hour and they were FABULOUS!!!! They were a complete hit and they are professional players (recordings and such) and they were CHEAP!!!! We are also of African descent and we wanted AUTHENTIC steel pan playing. Try ADLIB Steel pans they are in Freeport, NY. Truly wonderful!!
Good Luck and Enjoy every moment!!!
Ayanna--Anubride
